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Wednesday, 1 April 2015

A couple of weeks ago I attempted to upload some audio files onto Divshare, but the site had a notice saying that they were having regular maintenance, which they did from time to time.

However, this went on for several days, which was rather unusual. When I finally managed to get into the site each time I tried to upload audio files I got an error message, I contacted the help line (via email) but never got a reply, so I emailed them again, and still no response. I noticed the other day when trying to log into Divshare that the site was temporarily suspended awaiting relaunch. What's going to happen when they relaunch Divshare is anyones guess.

Whilst we wait to see what's gonna happen next, here's an oddity for you to muse over.

This is the only copy of RCA 47-5024 that I have seen with colored wax, I suspect that this was a mistake.

Sunday, 1 March 2015

Not much I can to say about Dean Turner, The Red River Boys, Farris Hendricks, or Johnnie Harmon. The later was obviously inspired by Jimmy Rodgers, Harmon's self penned "Pretty Mamma Blues", could have come straight out of Rodger's own songbook.

Monday, 23 February 2015

The BROADCAST RECORD CLUB, or BRC as it was marketed, was based at 303 Bible Place, Cleveland, Tennessee. The label seems to have started sometime in 1952 (BRC 1002 is a Capitol custom pressing dating from July 1952). How this "Club" worked is a matter for speculation, assuming that the records were issued at regular intervals, there would have been 26 releases over a period of three and a half to four years, which works out to be something like two release, or three if BRC 1001 is included, in 1952, and then eight releases a year thereafter. As you can see from the flip side of BRC 1025, by The BAHAMA'S BRASS BAND, material was taken from a variety of diverse sources. Some of the artists who recorded for BRC were familiar names in the Gospel fraternity, although the occasional typographical errors obscured the artist in question, take for example the WHIRLWIND EVANGELIST, is presumably The Whirlwind Evangelists who re-recorded "Ain't No Grave" for FORTUNE twelve months of so later, and is Howard Surrett, the Howard Seratt who recorded for both SUN and ST FRANCIS?

Sunday, 15 February 2015

Just when you think you’re getting a grip on things
something comes along to disabuse you of that notion.

Where do you start with the BARNE’S label?
it appears to be the second release on the label, assuming that is that there
is / was a release at 101 / 102, but that of course could be misleading and the
issue numbers 103 / 104 were applied to this record to give the impression that
this was a label with at least one other record under its belt!

Whilst you muse over the various options for the BARNE'S record let me introduce you to yet another mystery. Whilst perusing a copy of BILLBOARD’S 1949 Disc Jockey supplement, in particular the section entitled “Folk Recording Artists And Their Labels” I found a list of artists which hitherto I had not associated with the labels they were supposed to have been recording for. This list, compiled from reports submitted by recording companies (dated September 1949), may contain artists who were inked to a particular label but their recordings were never issued, or perhaps the individuals concerned, or the groups mentioned, were either uncredited vocalists or anonymous backing groups for some of the named artists who we know recorded for the recording company in question.

Thursday, 5 February 2015

Neither recording featured here could be described at any stretch of the
imagination as Country or Hillbilly, yet each is relevant in its own way.

The first is an instrumental “Boogie Square” released in STARDAY’s
1000 “Square Dance” series. This recording, judging by the master numbers, dates from
sometime around mid 1954. “Boogie Square” was also issued with Calls on STARDAY
D-1002 (Master number 2167) credited to “BUZZ” BROWN With KAY RIGGS AND HIS ORCHESTRA.

Bob Bertram, who one assumes is the same Bob Bertram who
owned the BERTRAM INTERNATIONAL label, offers the original version of “Babies
And Bacon” which was covered by Roy Hogsed on CAPITOL. The flip side of “Babies
And Bacon” is “Your Just My Style” another song that was covered by Roy Hogsed
for CAPITOL. Both songs can be best described as POP, I have not recorded “Your Just My Style” due to the prominent
organ throughout .

Sunday, 25 January 2015

Ol' Red River Dave rarely let an opportunity pass by without penning some ditty about the trials and troubles of life. T Texas Tyler attracted Dave's attention back in 1958 when Tyler was caught by the law in possession of a small amount of marijuana. I haven't been able to ascertain whether or not Tyler received a custodial sentence for this heinous crime? Whether he did or not is academic because Dave McEnery quickly recorded and released "Jailhouse Blues" on his own YODELING label, which I note from the label was issued in YODELING's "1958 Juke Box Series" which I suspect was the sole release in that particular series.

Sunday, 18 January 2015

Another selection of Sacred Offerings, this time from The Burchfield Brothers, once again I have no idea who the Brothers were, where they hailed from, and did they record anything else other than the four recordings featured here. The master numbers suggest that there may be at least four unissued recordings sitting in the vaults somewhere.

Sunday, 4 January 2015

Ry Cooder was once asked what was the most difficult task he had ever undertaken, without any hesitation Cooder replied "Trying to recreate that old valve sound in the recording studio". Every time I recall this I am reminded of recordings like Virgel Bozman's "Way Down Here In Mississippi", in which you can hear the lovely rounded tones of the unidentified guitarist.